Light-driven nucleation, growth, and patterning of biorelevant crystals using resonant near-infrared laser heating.

ABSTRACT: Spatiotemporal control over crystal nucleation and growth is of fundamental interest for understanding how organisms assemble high-performance biominerals, and holds relevance for manufacturing of functional materials. Many methods have been developed towards static or global control, however gaining simultaneously dynamic and local control over crystallization remains challenging. Here, we show spatiotemporal control over crystallization of retrograde (inverse) soluble compounds induced by locally heating water using near-infrared (NIR) laser light. We modulate the NIR light intensity to start, steer, and stop crystallization of calcium carbonate and laser-write with micrometer precision. Tailoring the crystallization conditions overcomes the inherently stochastic crystallization behavior

SUBMITTER: Bistervels MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10564937 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature